Knight's Memoir
by WingBladeWeaver1357
Summary: The Union Leopardus has a new member, a simple and quiet girl by the name of Nova. She had the same goal as everyone else. To gather Lux. The battle for Lux continued, but it wasn't just between the five Unions, but among her comrades as well. Tension continues to rise as each day became a competition. That is until, she met a boy from a different Union. Full summary inside. OC/AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A new story! Yay! This time it's about the KHUX one! This is actually related to LA, NB and FMN. A prequel you could say 😃

Anyway, enjoy this new story!

Summary:  
The Union Leopardus gained a new member, a simple and quiet girl by the name of Nova. She had the goal as every other wielder. To gather Lux. The battle for Lux continued, but it wasn't just between the five Unions, but among her comrades as well. Tension continues to rise as each day became a competition. That is until, she met a boy from a different Union, who changed her view that collecting Lux is not everything. Just when she thinks she has found a friend, he disappeared. She continues to search for him, but things don't go as plan when the clock's ticking down to count the days until the fated day.

KH © SE, Tetsuya Nomura

* * *

Chapter 1  
Start

* * *

 _Look deep inside your heart  
_

 _What do you see?_

* * *

' _Huh?'_

She was standing alone by the empty street. She glanced around, observing the unfamiliar surroundings around her.

' _Where… am I?'_

Every building around her were built in a half-timbered style. The roofs were painted a soft purple color, matching the wooden wall framing. The spaces between the wooden timbers were painted a beige color. Plants decorated the pastel-colored mosaic streets and the around the buildings' balcony. Despite the streets being empty and quiet, the place had a calming and peaceful atmosphere around.

' _It was dark before…'_

She looked down, staring at the stoned path. A few minutes ago, she was standing on a stained-glass floor with pictures of animals crafted onto the glass.

"Hey!" She stiffened when she heard someone shouted at her. She turned around, a nervous feeling bubbling inside her heart. A boy, with short dark brown hair with a pair of dark green eyes, was seen a few feet away from her. The look across the boy's face made the girl more nervous. It was a mix of anger and annoyance. "What do you think you're doing? Aren't you supposed to be doing your missions?" he questioned, or more like interrogated her.

The girl bit her lip, giving an unsure look. "…sorry?"

The boy frowned, a hand on his hip as he squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the frail-looking girl.

"Never seen you around. You must be new here." The boy concluded, straightening his posture. "Name?" he asked.

* * *

 _Banisher of darkness, gatherer of light—what is your name?_

* * *

"N—Nova…" The girl answered, averting her gaze from the boy before she glanced at him timidly. "You?"

The brunet gave her a smug look. "The name's Jay from the Union Ursus." He grinned, puffing his chest out in pride. "You must've choose Ursus too. Master Aced should've shown up by now." He looked around, trying to find his master.

Nova tilted her head confusedly. _Union? Ursus? Master Aced?_

The boy—Jay—seemed to notice the look across Nova's face. "Typical newbie," he snorted out, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked away. Nova gave him a small frown and her frown disappeared when he turned his head to look back at her. "Didn't you go through it? The part where you choose your Union." He said.

The ash-blonde girl closed her eyes, trying to recall which part she had to choose a 'Union'.

* * *

 _Look deep inside your heart. How do you see yourself?_

 _Which union does your heart belong to?_

* * *

"Oh! That!" A smile appeared as she snapped her fingers in realization. She remembered she was given five choices. A unicorn, a bear, a snake, a fox and a leopard. She didn't know why she chose the leopard instead of the other choices that were given. She never heard or seen what kind of union the leopard is, but she chose it anyway. "I choose the leopard one." Nova answered, giving a smile to the boy.

Jay's expression suddenly turned back to annoyance. "Cih! You're from another Union!" he spat out, surprising the girl. She took a few steps back when the boy's eyes sharpened to glare at her. "Should've expected someone like you to be in those kinds of Unions! Weak wielders like you don't belong in Ursus!" he turned around, leaving the startled girl behind in the dust.

"Uh…" Nova watched the boy stomped away from her in rage. She didn't what made the boy so angry at her. All she ever did was just say her name and the 'Union' she picked. Truth be told, she was a little offended by the boy's words. She never did anything wrong to him. She just met him not two minutes ago. "Rude… I don't like you too." she huffed out.

The blonde turned around, deciding to head up the set of stairs. She wished she could see another person that could explain everything to her, but if the next person she meets is like Jay, then she rather be clueless for the rest of her life.

She slowly made her way up the stairs. Her eyes were gazing down at the stairs, but her mind was elsewhere. There were questions going around her head. A lot of things didn't made sense. One of those things were that she can't really remember anything from before she showed up in the stained-glass area. Everything was just blank. She knew her own name and age, but that's it. She can't remember where she came from, her family, or anything, but another thing was that she wasn't panicking over the lack of knowledge of her own past.

It was as if the worry was lifted away… or purposefully erased.

"W—Whoa!" A gasp escaped Nova's lips when something began to emerge from the ground. She stopped midway to reach the higher level of the town to avoid the strange appearance. She quickly turned around, making an attempt to run down, but she froze when the same thing happened from the lower ground. "What are those?!" she shouted, her eyes widened in surprise.

Strange black-ant-like creatures with yellow beady eyes began to form from the dark shadows. Its head began to shake before it turned to look at the girl standing in front of it.

Nova swallowed the lump in her throat. She tried to remain still. Maybe if she pretends to be a statue, the creature will leave her alone. Her plan seemed not to work when the creature began to slowly crawl towards her. She let out a shriek when the creature lunged at her with its' sharp claws. The blonde quickly stepped aside, avoiding the attack.

"Anybody? Please help!" Nova glanced around, trying to find anyone that could help her. It didn't matter if that rude guy—Jay—came to her rescue. She was willing to forgive his rude behavior if he shows up with a sword and start slaying the creatures. She ducked down, avoiding another attack. "H—Hey, I don't have anything—!" she yelped as the creature ignored her.

The blonde dodged an attack and without even knowing it, her back hit the wall. The creatures cornered her, standing in a circle to block off any possible exit routes. She frantically looked around. It was impossible to push her way across the black creatures. A few of the black creatures suddenly lunged at her all at once.

Nova raised her hand, trying to shield herself from the attack.

"N—No!"

She closed her eyes tightly, afraid of what's going to happen when the creatures attacked her.

A bright light began to shone from Nova's hand.

The light repelled the creatures away, sending them flying off.

Nova slowly opened her eyes. She didn't feel any pain, instead, there was an increase of weight in her hand.

Her eyes widened.

A large key was in her once empty hand.

The guard is a simple one, colored a deep pastel blue. The handle itself is a deep indigo color. The shaft is light-blue and rounded, ending with an orb past the teeth. Nova's eyes trailed down to look at the teeth of the weapon. A silver hollow star. She observed the weapon for a few more seconds, turning it around in her hand. It was a very simple design and very light in her grasp.

She stared at the strange weapon in awe before glancing up to look at the increasing numbers of the black creatures.

* * *

 _The keyblade holds the power of light—the power to drive away the darkness._

* * *

Nova stood up and held the handle of the weapon—the keyblade—tightly. She held the keyblade in a defensive position when the creature jumped at her. She pushed the creature away and swung the keyblade at the creature. Her eyes widened in surprise when the creature disappeared in black smoke.

Her eyes stared at the keyblade, a newfound courage growing in her heart. She swung the weapon again, killing off the dark creatures. With the keyblade in hand, she felt a lot more confident and less threatened by the creatures around her. But despite her new-found weapon and confident, she can't help but feel a little nervous about what would happen if the weapon hadn't appeared in time.

As soon as she saw an opening from the decreasing numbers, she made a dash for it up the stairs. She huffed tiredly when she reached the top of the stairs. Her eyes glanced around the empty plaza. A fountain was in the middle and there were a few shops, but the shops were already closed. There wasn't anyone she could go to for help. She wondered if anyone does actually live in this town. She turned around in her spot, swinging the keyblade at the creature that jumped at her.

Nova backed away from the stairs when the creatures began to crawl up to the plaza. When she was in a safe distance, she held her ground to face the creatures. She can't rely on anyone except herself now.

"O—Okay! Just you and me now!" Nova shouted as she ran forward, the keyblade held tightly in her hand. Her eyes widened when black fog began to appear, covering the whole area. She skidded to a stop as something large began to rise up from the ground. She tilted her chin up as the shadow began to grow taller and large in size. It was far larger than the ones she faced earlier. It was huge with a heart-shaped hole on its' stomach. "W—Whoa…" she gulped, taking a few steps back.

The large creature began to step out from the circle of fog. It moved its' arm and suddenly swung it down to smash the blonde girl. She quickly turned around, jumping away from the attack. She landed on the stoned floor, covering her head as the large hand smashed the street, creating a cloud of dust around them.

Nova coughed as the dust cleared. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get the dirt off. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and turned to look at the large creature. Her eyes widened when the creature was already beginning to prepare for another attack. She quickly raised the keyblade up to shield herself from the incoming attack.

Her eyes were shut tight as she heard a sound of a blade.

She slowly opened her eyes.

"You okay?"

A man dressed in a yellow and dark grey robe was standing in front of her. Her eyes trailed down to the key in his hand. It had a more complicated design than hers, with the all the spikes and color.

Nova snapped out from her thoughts and nodded her head. "Y—Yeah… thanks…" she stared at his back, wondering who the man was and how did he know she was in need of help. There wasn't anyone around and this guy suddenly showed up out of the blues. "Who are—?" the stopped when a large shadow loomed over them.

The two of them glanced up and the man dressed in the yellow robe quickly raised his weapon, casting thunder over the creature. The dark creature moved back, canceling the attack it was about to do. A large portal appeared behind the creature and it moved back inside.

"We'll talk later." The man spoke, glancing over his shoulder. "Chirithy, you know what to do." He continued before jumping into the same portal as the monster.

"W—Wait!" Nova stood up, reaching her hand out to the man. She knew that the man is probably more experienced than her, but she can't help but worry about his safety. That creature was humongous compared to both him and her.

"You don't have to worry about him," a voice said, startling the blonde girl. She turned around with a surprised look and raised her keyblade in defense. She blinked once. Twice. It wasn't one of those dark creatures. It was the exact opposite. A small cat-like creature with a gold and blue cape and a pink purse was seen standing in front of her. "He is your master after all." It— _he_ continued.

Nova blinked, giving a look. "My what?"

The cat let out a small sigh. "He is the leader of the Union Leopardus, Master Gula—your union leader. You choose his Union." He explained and Nova thought for a moment before nodding her head. It explained a lot about the 'Unions' and 'Masters' thing Jay was talking about. Nova lowered the keyblade as the cat-like creature jumped closer to her. "This may be tougher than I thought…" he hummed, placing a stubby paw on his round snout.

"Uh…" Nova responded. She didn't know if she should feel confused or offended.

The cat lifted his chin up to look at Nova. "You may still be confused, but I'm sorry, I'll go ahead and explain first." He began and the blonde nodded once.

Finally, someone that will explain everything to her, even if that someone is an anthropomorphic cat.

Nova kneeled down to the cat's eye level, the keyblade placed on her lap as she stared at the cat with her indigo eyes.

The cat cleared his throat and jumped once. "You see, your pursuit of light made you the perfect candidate for a keyblade wielder. The keyblade is the power of the light's heart. Darkness is spreading and it's up to you to use the weapon to drive it away, gather light and protect the worlds." He paused, staring at the expression Nova was giving him.

Nova pursed her lips as her eyes darted to look at anything but him.

"I'm sorry are you keeping up?" the cat asked and Nova gave him a silent nod. The cat nodded and he continued his explanations. "Those dark creatures back there, are called the Heartless."

"The black creatures?" Nova tilted her head.

"Bingo!" The cat chirped, moving his stubby paw. "The beings from darkness, the Heartless, seeks out hearts and plunge the worlds into darkness. The only thing that can oppose them is the keyblade. That's why you need to protect the worlds from the Heartless with the keyblade." He finished.

Nova looked down to her keyblade. "That's… a big responsibility." She sighed out. She didn't want to complain, but was she really the right person to hold this kind of responsibility?

"Don't worry about it! I'm here to help the keyblade wielders." The cat placed his paw above Nova's hand that was holding the weapon. The girl raised her chin to look at the cat, who seemed to give her a reassuring smile. "My name's Chirithy and from now on, I'll be by your side teaching you lots of stuff! You can count on me!" he said enthusiastically.

Nova let out a small giggle. "I'm Nova and thanks, Chirithy." She shook Chirithy's hand and she can't help but feel happy.

"Oh yeah! About your keyblade, it's still incomplete." Chirithy looked down to the simple-looking keyblade in Nova's hand. "You see, the keyblade is just like you. Right now, you're just beginning your journey, but as you grow stronger, your keyblade will change forms to an even stronger one." He explained.

Nova raised her keyblade. "So… it kind of sort the ranks in our Union?" she asked, thinking about what her fellow Union members' keyblade.

"Eh sort of… you caught on things quickly than I imagined!" Chirithy giggled, covering his mouth with his hands.

"H—Hey!" Nova blushed in embarrassment.

Suddenly a swooshing sound was heard behind them.

Both Nova and Chirithy glanced back and Nova quickly stood up, bowing her head in respect when a familiar yellow robed man stepped out from the portal. The man—known as Master Gula—nodded his head in greeting.

Gula took a few steps closer. "You've managed to tap into the power of the keyblade. Lesser heartless won't stand a chance, but in order to defeat stronger foes…" he trailed off, making both Chirithy and Nova tilt their head in confusion.

As if on cue, the large creature—the Heartless—returned from the dark portal right behind them. Nova jumped in surprise at the sight of the large Heartless. She took a few steps back as her eyes widened in fear. Did her master really expect her to take this beast on her own? She didn't know what her master thinking. She felt a soft pat to her hand and she looked down to see Chirithy giving her a reassuring nod. The girl gulped before nodding her head, holding her keyblade shakily as she faced the Heartless.

"Don't be afraid, Nova." The young man stood beside the blonde, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone. That is what a Union is for. You must combine your strength with those who share your purpose and aspirations." As he finished, a few keyblade wielders ran up to them.

"Your friends will become your power."

Nova glanced around, staring at the boys and girls. They were like her. Keyblade wielders.

One by one, the keyblade wielders ran towards the large Heartless, each landing a hit to the monster. Nova stared in amazement when they could jump high enough to reach the head. The keyblade wielders could easily dodge the large Heartless attacks and gave a fatal hit to immobilize the creature.

Nova felt Gula gave her a light push, encouraging her to join in her fellow Union members. She glanced at him and he gave a nod. She turned to Chirithy and he too gave a nod. She looked down at her own keyblade before catching up with the others.

She stood beside a fellow Union member, standing in a fighting stance.

"Go on! Hit it with all you got, Newbie!" The girl grinned.

"Yeah! We weakened it for you, so don't worry!" a boy continued, giving a thumbs up.

Nova nodded her head. She ran towards the Heartless and dodged rolled away when the Heartless slammed its' large fist to the ground. She used the Heartless' arm to run up to its' head. She jumped up when she was close enough to the head and slashed the Heartless' head down with her keyblade. It staggered back as she landed safely on the ground with a soft thud.

Everyone watched as the large Heartless began to disappear in black smoke.

The ash-blonde haired girl let out a sigh of relief as the keyblade in her hand disappeared. Most of the keyblade wielders around her said their goodbyes to her and they went their own separate ways. Nova waved her hand goodbye to the Union member who exited the plaza last.

"There are other who collect the light," Gula's voice snapped her from her thoughts. She quickly turned around to pay attention to her master's words. A small frown was seen on the master's face. "But not all of them share the same goal of bringing peace to the world. You must discover who amongst us walks the path of darkness." He finished, his hands folded behind his back.

Nova nodded her head. "Okay."

Now that she has a good look at her master, he was younger than she expected. She actually expected her master to be an old man with a beard and grumpy attitude. The young master wore a mask, similar to the Leopardus symbol she saw at the glass-stained floor area.

"From today onwards, you are a member of my Union, the Leopardus." Gula stated and Nova nodded her head. The young master raised his hand and held something in his palm. The girl blinked and raised her hand too, opening it just as Gula silently instructed her. "This is what will differ you from the other Unions. It is necessary for you to wear it at all times." He placed the small item in her palm.

A leather bracelet held by a silver claps with the Leopardus symbol crafted in detail.

"Feel free to choose which hand you want to wear it." The young man waved his hand, giving a small smile.

Nova smiled back and wore the bracelet on her left wrist.

Gula cleared his throat, making both Chirithy and Nova look at him. "You're dismissed for today. Go ahead and rest, I'm sure all of this was a lot to take in. Chirithy will get you settled into your new home." He said.

"Of course, Master!" Chirithy saluted.

Gula nodded and summoned a portal.

"Thank you, Master!" Nova gave a deep bow.

The Union leader nodded his head before stepping into the portal.

Nova straightened her posture, staring at the spot where her master once stood. A smile appeared on her lips. This was a new start for her.

Chirithy jumped up and down. "Are you ready to see your new home? You'll love it, I'm sure!" he chirped, hopping to the stairs.

The girl followed the cat.

"Yeah."

* * *

 _This is where your journey begins_

* * *

A/N: As you guys have noticed, I changed the dialogue a little bit to fit Gula! I based Gula's character on Back Cover, since the dialogue and personality on the KHUX were neutral. The quests where the leaders show up pretty much depends on us.

Tell me what you guys think of this new story! I would love to hear your opinions! :D


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: sorry it took me so long to update this story!

Thank you guys so much for the reads, reviews, favs and follows! You guys are awesome!

Chirithy564: Thank you so much!

TheRoseAlchemist17: aww thank you so much! 😃

Lulu9814: thank you so much!

TheIrishWriter: thank you! Maybe lol haha. Maybe… haha all will be explain as we go deeper into the story!

Blast: yup! This story is connected

Draconicflare: thank you! Don't worry about it! Please focus on your school first! Good luck on your internship! Lol! That actually depends on what Union you choose, if you choose Leopardus, Ephemer will say that he's from Vulpes. If you choose Vulpes, he will say Leopardus. I think it's great! We get to have endless missions to catch up! Thank you so much! And hehe LA is coming to an end (lol it is sort of make fun of Hikari day at tumblr)

Dustyfay: thank you! 😃

Unipony626: Thank you so much! At first, maybe, but as the story progress, she will change haha. Maybe haha 😉 I do plan on them meeting one day.

KH © SE, Tetsuya Nomura

* * *

Chapter 2  
continue

* * *

' _This… isn't a dream…'_

Nova stared at the ceiling, her hands crossed behind her neck as she laid on her bed. Morning came by quickly. Despite the bizarre events that took place yesterday, she slept fairly well. She woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She had been awake for about an hour, but had no intention to get out of bed.

"Rise and shine!" a voice chirped, followed by a poof of smoke. A small cat-like creature stood on the window seat by the bay window of her room. "It's time to start the day!" he continued, jumping once on the cushion.

The girl pulled herself up to a sitting position and raised her hands above her head. Her eyes glanced over to the clock. "It's eight o'clock in the morning…" she slouched when a pop was heard from her back. "Who starts at eight in the morning?" she turned her head to look at the cat.

Chirithy hummed. "Missions starts at nine and usually ends at the afternoon. I figured you want some time to get ready before your first day on the job." He explained, jumping down to sit.

Nova let out a yawn.

"Not a morning person, I see." Chirithy stated, watching Nova walk around the room to get her daily clothes before heading inside the bathroom. The Spirit heard the sound of water running not a minute after his wielder entered the bathroom. He waited a good fifteen minutes before the door opened. "That was quick—,"

"Uh-huh," Nova said as she brushed her teeth. She stepped out of the bathroom to walk around the room, all the while brushing her teeth. She went over to her bed and her hand released the toothbrush, letting it hung in her mouth. She grabbed her blanket and folded it neatly, placing it on the foot of her bed.

"That's a bad habit." Chirithy said, watching his wielder walk around the room with a toothbrush in hand. This time, heading to the small kitchen space. The took out a kettle, filling it with water before placing it above the stove. The blonde turned on the stove and returned to the bathroom to rinse her mouth before going back out. "That's a really bad habit… You can't brush your teeth while doing other things." he chided like a mother.

Nova walked towards the stove. "But I get things done faster like that." She replied as she took out two cups from the upper cabinets.

"But you could get things faster if you do them one by one." Chirithy retorted and the girl hummed in reply. The cat let out a soft sigh before approaching his wielder. "What are you doing?" he asked, jumping onto the counter beside the stove.

The blonde gave a smile. "Making tea. You drink tea, right?" just before Chirithy lead her to her new home, he insisted that they visit the market, with Chirithy paying for the stuff they bought of course. She was glad that they decided to drop by the market, otherwise, there would be no tea. She poured the hot water into a teapot and she placed the teabag inside. "There's milk in the fridge… do you want milk instead?" she offered, pointing her finger at the fridge.

"I may look like a cat, but I'm not one." Chirithy huffed cutely, his arms crossed against his chest. The girl didn't know if she should gush over Chirithy's cuteness or feel sorry for offending him. "But milk tea sounds nice." He turned his head to face Nova.

Nova held in her giggle, covering her mouth. "Okay then." She grinned and walked over to the fridge to take out the carton of milk. She poured the tea into the two cups before adding sugar to her cup and milk into Chirithy's. She took the cups to the table and gave Chirithy his tea. "I've… been meaning to ask you… How did you know I was coming? This apartment and everything in it were already set up…" she asked out of the blue.

Chirithy took the cup of milk tea. "The room was already set long before you came. The housing depends on where the master wants to put you." He brought the cup to his mouth and blow on the hot liquid before taking a small sip. The cat let out a sigh of content before he sat down on the table.

Her house was a decent sized apartment. When she first came into her new home, everything was set in place. There was a bed with a small nightstand beside the window. On the corner of the room, a desk and a chair. The bathroom was located to the right, complete with towels and toiletries inside. Beside the entrance door was a small grandfather clock hung on the wall. Her kitchen was to the left of the entrance with a small dining room for one. The closet was a small one, but she didn't mind. Her favorite part of the room was the window seat by the bay window. It had a stunning view of the town and the Clock Tower.

"But to avoid conflict with the other Union members, the housing is separated into five different areas." Chirithy continued.

Nova placed her cup on the table. "Conflict?" she echoed.

"Rivals to put it nicely… You see, each Union works separately and thus the rivalry between the keyblade wielders began." Chirithy said, sighing sadly. He stared into the cup and holding the handle with his paw. "It started with different missions of collecting LUX from each Union. Somehow, not only it's from different Unions, it also turned to a competition between the keyblade wielders. Since then, everyone started to compete on which Union has the most LUX by the end of the week."

Nova stared down at her tea. "Does… Master Gula know about this?"

The cat nodded his head. "It's not just Master Gula… All the Masters knew it, but it has gone on too far and long for them to stop this." He explained. "But on the bright side, the more LUX gathered, the better."

"What for though?" Nova asked.

"Nobody knows… it's just our purpose, to collect LUX." Chirithy said, finishing his tea.

The blonde looked down to her tea, her bluish-purple eyes staring at her reflection.

 _Ding_

The sound of the old grandfather clock almost made her drop her glass.

 _Ding_

 _Ding_

"Oh! It's nine o'clock! Time to start your first day!" Chirithy jumped up to his feet. He hopped over to the sink, placing the empty glass inside the wash basin.

Nova finished her tea and placed it inside the wash basin as well, turning on the water to rinse it before leaving her apartment to start the day.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Chirithy's voice stopped her from going out of the door.

The girl turned around and checked everything, shaking her head 'no'.

Chirithy held something out, a bracelet. "You forgot to wear this."

"Oh…" Nova gave an apologetic look and kneeled down to take the bracelet from the cat. Chirithy shook his head and opened the strap, jumping closer to Nova's left hand. The girl raised her left hand and he claps the leather bracelet around her wrist.

"It's important that you wear this bracelet at all times. It gathers the LUX you collected and then it submits itself to Master Gula by the end of each day." Chirithy explained, taking a few steps back to look up at his wielder. "It also helps the Master keep track of your progress as a keyblade wielder. So, it's a very important thing." He finished.

Nova gave a nod and stood up, holding out the door for Chirithy before stepping out herself. The door closed with a soft click and she locked it. Since she didn't want to lose the key while fighting the Heartless, she gave the key to Chirithy for safe keeping. The other thing that could open the door to her apartment is her keyblade and probably her master's key since he was the one who gave her the apartment.

"Since it's your first day, let's start at Daybreak Town." Chirithy hopped down the stairs one by one as Nova followed behind him. "Daybreak Town might be our home base, but no place is safe from the Heartless!"

They walked through a short tunnel before they reached the main street—or more likely, more stairs. The number of stairs at Daybreak Town was stunning. Almost every part of the town consists of stairs. It was easy going down, but going up was another thing. Nova haven't even start the day and she was already worn down by the stairs. "Yikes! Looks like we need to work on your stamina first!" the Spirit commented.

Nova panted, holding onto the railing for support. "Y—Yeah…"

"Hah! I knew that you're nothing but a weak brat." A voice startled both Chirithy and Nova. The two turned to see a boy along with a few other boys and girls behind him. Nova quickly recognized the boy as Jay—the boy who was rude towards her when she told him that she's in a different Union. "The day hasn't even started and you're already tired!" he sneered.

Nova frowned.

"No wonder you said that she was fragile, Jay." A girl walked up to stand beside the brunette. She gave a smug look at Nova who averted her gaze elsewhere. "She can't even keep up with the stairs at Daybreak Town!" she laughed, her arms crossed against her chest.

The rest of the group laughed, making Nova lower her head in embarrassment.

"Hey! Stop bullying her!" Chirithy stood up to Nova's defense. "She just got here yesterday, so it's completely understandable!" he huffed, standing in front of his wielder.

Jay looked down, "What's this? You need your Chirithy to defend you? That's pathetic." He spat out before turning around on his heels to walk away. The boys and girls behind him followed his lead. "Kinda makes you guys think how such a weak girl like her can be a keyblade wielder, huh?" he made sure to say it loud enough for Nova to hear.

Nova stayed silent.

"Those kids! Wait until I tell their Foreteller!" Chirithy stomped his foot on the ground, his paws on his hip as he glared at the group. The cat turned to face his wielder and gave a reassuring pat to her hand. "Don't worry, Nova. I'll be sure to pass this to Master Gula and Master Aced. They'll deal with those kids." He reassured.

Nova shook her head. "It's… okay… I don't want to trouble the Masters…" she said softly before turning to look at Chirithy, a small smile on her lips. "Besides, they were right… no matter how much I don't want to admit it." She sighed out.

There was a moment of silence between her and Chirithy.

"…you were saying about starting off at Daybreak Town?" Nova broke the silence as she raised her hand and summoned the keyblade. She turned to Chirithy and waited for him to instruct her further.

The Spirit lowered his head. "Yes…"

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A week later

 _Swoosh_

Nova huffed out tiredly as she lowered her keyblade.

 _Clank_

"You did great!" A voice chirped happily.

Nova wiped the sweat off her forehead, turning to face her Spirit. "…thanks." She gave him a tired smile.

It had been a week since she arrived at Daybreak Town. Every day, she would wake up at eight, get ready and then have morning tea with Chirithy before starting the day. And after she finished her mission, they would always go straight home to rest. Without even knowing it, it fell into a routine for them.

Since she was still a new keyblade wielder, her missions were always in Daybreak Town. Every single mission she received were the same, kill Heartless and collect LUX. She would run around Daybreak Town all day, taking care of the Heartless and also getting familiar with the town. If it wasn't for Chirithy reminding her, she would've gotten lost in the town. Everything to her was the same. The streets, the houses, the alleys. It was still hard for her to find her way through.

"…can we go home now?" Nova sat down on the fountain, leaning on her keyblade for support.

Chirithy let out a sigh. "Well, your mission has ended for the day…"

The blonde summoned away her keyblade.

"You really want to go home, huh?" Chirithy deadpanned, staring at his wielder.

Nova gave him a sheepish look.

"How about we grab something to eat first?" The Spirit hopped onto the fountain, sitting beside the girl. "I know this restaurant that sells good food with a reasonable price!"

"We still have some chips at home." Nova said.

Chirithy hopped to his feet. "That's not healthy! You shouldn't eat chips for dinner!" he chided like a mother. A week passed since he met his wielder and he was already acting like a mother towards her. It wasn't that he thinks that Nova wasn't capable of taking care of herself, but because she was too quiet and closed off from the rest of her Union members. "You should eat something other than snacks… you're thinner than you first came here." He said worriedly.

Nova turned her head and gave a small smile. "I'm eating… I'm just not in the mood?" she patted Chirithy's head a few times.

The cat stared at his wielder and placed his paws on top of her hands. "Is this because of what those kids said to you a week ago?" he asked.

The blonde sighed, shaking her head. Since their last encounter last week, they haven't seen each other again. She was glad that they didn't, but their words did make her think a few times. She hasn't progressed much since she first came here and her keyblade didn't ' _upgrade'_ to the 'next _level'_. It made her think.

' _Am I really the right person to do this sort of things?'_

"C'mon guys! The sun's still up!" a voice startled them. They turned their head to the direction of the voice. A boy, his back facing them, was waving his hand above his head. He was signaling his friends to come down the stairs faster. When three of his friends finally reached half-way to the bottom, the boy ran across the area, running passed Nova and Chirithy. "We still have time to collect more LUX!" he continued.

A girl followed after him. "Alright, alright!" she huffed out, running pass Nova.

"Geez… We still have some time before Master Gula collects them." A third one—another boy—sighed out with his arms crossed. He walked towards the other two in a slower pace, taking his time to reach his teammates.

Nova stared at the group before averting her gaze to look at her shoes. She had to admit. She was disappointed and jealous. It had been a week since she came and no one offered to invite her to their group. She was promised that every single wielder will be asked to join a group in their Union, but no one came to ask her. Although Chirithy encouraged her that someday someone will ask her, she was certain no one wanted the weak newbie in their team.

The trio finally left the Fountain Square, without even sparing a glance at their Union member.

"Nova?"

The girl turned her head to face her Spirit. "…it's nothing. Don't worry about it, Chirithy." She reassured.

"G—Guys! Wait up!"

Nova turned her head to look at the stairs that lead upwards to the first district. A short blond boy was resting at the bottom of the stairs, his hands on his knees as he took deep breaths to calm down.

' _Must be the fourth member…'_ Nova thought, staring at the tired boy.

After a few seconds, the blond finally continued to run across the Fountain Square. He turned his head and spotted a girl sitting beside her Chirithy by the fountain. He slowed down his pace as he made eye contact with his fellow Union member.

A deep bluish-purple color.

"?!"

Nova quickly stood up to her feet when she saw the boy tripped over his own foot and fell down to the ground with a thud. She ran towards where the boy lay and kneeled beside him, staring worriedly.

"…you okay?" Nova asked nervously, reaching her hand out to shake the boy's shoulder. She hesitated a few times before retreating her hand back. The boy hadn't move since he fell and it began to worry her. She turned her head to face Chirithy, who stood beside her. "…should we call Master Gula?" she whispered.

Chirithy tilted his head up. "Maybe…"

"I'm fine…" the boy groaned, pushing himself up. He reached his hand up to rub his face. His face was scrunched up in pain as he sat on the ground. "…I'm fine…" he reassured.

Nova pursed her lips, averting her eyes. The look on the boy's face says otherwise. He seemed as if he was about to cry.

"…there, there?" Nova hesitated again before finally deciding to pat the boy's back softly. She remembered that she just bought a few potions before she started her mission for the day. She reached into her pouch and pulled a glass container. "I have some potions if you like?" she offered, holding out the potion for the boy to take.

"Thank you…" The boy thanked her and took the bottle. He turned his head to face the girl and he quickly looked away. "I—I have to go now! See you later!" he shouted.

The boy stood up and ran, leaving both Nova and Chirithy confused.

"…okay?" Nova blinked.

Chirithy giggled behind his paws.

"Something funny?"

The Spirit kept on giggling. "The boy's just shy! Looks like someone has a crush on you!"

Nova rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm pretty sure he was embarrassed that he tripped over his own foot." She replied, standing up to her feet. She looked to the direction where the boy had run off to. "…but it's nice to talk to a fellow Union member." She smiled.

Chirithy stared up at his wielder.

"Nova…"

The girl stretched her arms over her head. "C'mon Chirithy, you said that you knew a good restaurant to eat?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"How is your new Union member fairing, Gula?"

Said young man turned to face the man dressed in a white and blue robe with a Unicorn mask covering half of his face.

"With the amount of LUX she collected, she's fine." Gula replied as he leaned back against his chair, his arms and legs crossed. Though he never confronted the girl face to face since he met her, he had been watching from afar. Even if her Chirithy gave him the information of her progress, he would still keep an eye for his newest pupil.

"That's nice to hear. It's been awhile since we have another keyblade wielder show up in Daybreak Town." The woman in the Snake mask replied, her hands folded neatly on her lap.

Gula hummed in reply. "Though, I have to admit… She's a quiet one, always by herself or with her Chirithy only." He said, placing his hand on his chin.

"Oh…" a young woman with the Fox mask sighed sadly. "…that's not good." She said, staring down at her folded hands.

"There's nothing to worry about that child. It's only a week." Another one replied, a man wearing a Bear mask. His arms were crossed against his chest as he stood across from the room from the others.

"That may be true, but it is our duty to help keyblade wielders." The Unicorn said, turning his head to face the bear.

The Bear snorted and looked away. "They should be able to make friends themselves." He said and he unfolded his arms. He walked towards the table and stood between Gula's and the Fox's seat. "They don't need a Foreteller's help to make friends. We don't have time to arrange a playdate." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Aced, are you saying that we shouldn't care for our wielders?" the Unicorn asked, his voice calm. He stood straight with his hands on his sides.

"I _didn't_ say that." Aced growled, glaring at the man in white. "All I'm saying is that, keyblade wielders should be able to make friends themselves. They're not four-year-old kids." He pointed out.

The Snake stood up from her seat. "Ira. Aced. That's _enough_." She turned her head from the Unicorn and then to the Bear.

"There's no need to fight over this." The Fox said, agreeing with the other woman in the group. "I'm pretty sure the girl will have some friends. We just need to give her some time!" she smiled.

Gula nodded his head in agreement. "Ava's right. Nova is just new around here." He stood up from his seat and headed straight for the door. He stood halfway, tuning sideways to face his fellow Foretellers. "And besides, this is _my_ Union. You guys don't have to get so worked up." He said before exiting the room.

Ira sighed, making everyone in the room turn to face him. "What Gula said was right. This is his Union. He should be able to handle this problem himself." He said.

Aced let out a huff. "Should've never brought this topic up then." He crossed his arms.

" _Aced_." Invi warned, her head turned to look at the masked man.

The Bear masked man clicked his tongue before exiting the room, slamming the door behind him.

Ava flinched, before a soft sigh escaped her lips.

"I wish the Master was still here… then, everything will be the same again."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: an update!

I won't really be following the story line to KHUX, but I will include the major events that happened in the game.

Guest: maybe haha

Draconicflare: Lol! I sometimes still do that too. And thanks! Yup! We'll see more of the face-planting boy. Hehe thanks! And I think it's a great edition! We get to have new stories in the game lol

Guest: yup! I just posted a drawing of Nova at deviantart

Lulu9814: Go Nova~! Lol and thanks!

Gry21: those are some interesting ideas, thank you for sharing them!

Guest: go Nova~!

TheIrishWriter: thank you! Perhaps, he might be lol. And my guess, is that Ventus is quite short in KHUX? I don't know, I just imagined him to be short since he's still a kid. Haha

Unipony626: Lol me too! Thank you so much!

KH © SE, Tetsuya Nomura

* * *

Chapter 3  
friend

* * *

Another week passed.

"—va?"

Nova looked down, turning to look at the Spirit.

Two weeks passed since she arrived at Daybreak Town. It had been a quiet week. Since she spoke with the clumsy boy, she never spoke to anyone else except to her Chirithy. Perhaps when she wanted to buy some supplies from the vendors, but that's it. She became quieter than before and she was already quiet when she first came here. And her Chirithy was worried that she might've lost her confidence.

"Are you okay? You've been spacing out lately." Chirithy asked in concern, looking up at his wielder with worry in his eyes. His wielder wasn't much of a talker from the start, but to stay quiet all the time was not good either. He tried to start up a conversation, to at least get Nova to talk. From what he gathered, Nova doesn't seem to have any hobby except drinking tea—if that could be called a hobby. "Is everything, okay?" he asked.

Nova nodded her head. "Yeah." She progressed a little since she first came. She wasn't easily tired out by the stairs anymore, that's a start. But apparently, that wasn't enough to upgrade her keyblade. Her keyblade was still the very basic one. Every day, she saw different wielders wielding different keyblades. She even found some that has the same structure as hers. The difference was that theirs are more 'updated' than hers. "Everything's okay…." She added, lowering the keyblade.

Daybreak Town was quiet. Most of the wielders had left to another world to collect LUX, but some stayed behind to collect LUX at town—though only a few. Nova's missions had only been in Daybreak Town instead of going to other worlds. Sometimes, she wondered why her missions were always at Daybreak Town. She wanted to join the other wielders to the outside world. Instead of asking Chirithy, she kept the question to herself.

Nova sighed.

The blonde turned her head to her left when she saw someone from the corner of her eyes. She was standing quite a distance from the person she just saw, but that didn't mean she could see how the person looked. Tall, buff—a giant really from the girl's perspective. He wore similar clothing to her master, but everything was light brown instead of yellow. His mask though was completely different.

A bear.

Her eyes followed the assumed master until he was out of her line of sight.

"That was Master Aced." Chirithy said, answering Nova's unspoken question. The girl turned to look down at her Spirit. She has heard the master's name quite a few times during her stay in Daybreak Town. The man was Jay's Union leader. "He's the leader of the Union Ursus."

Nova nodded her head.

"You see, during missions, the Foretellers also went along the keyblade wielders to visit the worlds known to us so far." Chirithy began as he turned to look at the direction where Aced went. "They also collect LUX, but their job is to mostly monitor the keyblade wielders so there would be no conflict when collecting LUX." He explained.

The blonde followed Chirithy's gaze. "…it almost feels like a competition." She sighed.

"I guess so…" Chirithy agreed, nodding his head.

Nova let out a soft sigh.

"Well, how about we take a break? You've been working very hard!" Chirithy wasn't convinced with Nova's answer. He jogged over to the bench and hopped onto it before sitting down. He patted the empty seat beside him and Nova couldn't help but smile and complied. The girl sat beside her Chirithy with her keyblade leaned against the bench. "It's a very nice weather today, huh?" the Spirit sighed in content.

"Hmm," Nova hummed in reply, nodding her head. She took a deep breath and exhaled, enjoying the cool breeze with her eyes closed. They were sitting beneath the tree in the waterfront park. The sound of waves gently crashing against the rocks was calming. Silence fell between the two. "Hey… Chirithy?" she decided to break the silence.

"Yeah?" Chirithy turned in his seat. He gets excited whenever his wielder wanted to talk. Usually it had to be him to start a conversation, so hearing his wielder wanted to talk without him asking is a great thing.

 _Whoosh_

"Alright!"

There was a sound of a Heartless disappearing followed by a yell of victory. Both Nova and Chirithy turned around to the source. A boy—around Nova's age—was seen not far from her. He wore mostly black, but his shirt was white and his scarf was red in color. His hair though was a little different than the other keyblade wielders she had seen in Daybreak Town. Sure, she has seen shades of blue to pink, but she has never seen silver before.

"He seems lively." Chirithy commented and Nova only nod her head in response.

The boy didn't seem to notice them.

Nova's eyes widened when a pool of darkness suddenly appeared behind the boy. One by one, Heartless began to emerge from the darkness. The boy didn't seem to notice the danger behind him. Nova debated whether or not she should help the boy. For one, he was far stronger than her. His keyblade proved it. On the other hand, it would be wrong of her not to help someone in need.

"N—Nova!" Chirithy called out to his wielder when she ran towards the boy.

The boy's expression went to surprise when he saw Nova running towards him with her keyblade in hand. The boy was prepared for a fight. He raised his keyblade in defense and took a step back. Nova reached her empty hand out and pushed the boy's shoulder, making him duck down. He was more surprised when the attack wasn't meant for him, but for the Heartless behind him.

Nova thrust her keyblade above the boy's head, killing off the Heartless in one hit.

"Ah!" The boy's eyes widened when he finally realized the danger behind him. He turned his head when he noticed a hand from the corner of his eyes. The boy trailed his eyes up the arm to the girl's face. She gave him a small smile before he took her hand. "T—Thanks!" he replied as he stood up.

The blonde nodded her head in response before turning her head to look at the swarm of Heartless gathered around them. She positioned herself to a fighting stance and the boy did the same.

"I don't know who you are, but let's go!" The boy shouted as he attacked first, taking out the Heartless in his way.

Nova followed his steps, but she stayed behind a little bit, taking out the Heartless on the opposite side. She ducked down, avoiding a fire ball blast at her way. She quickly slashed the Heartless across before it could cast more fire spells at her. It was more convenient for her to kill magic-based Heartless with magic, but she wasn't much of a magic user to begin with. She rather used her keyblade as a sword rather than a magic staff. The only magic she used were barrier and cure since the two were the most important thing when going against the Heartless.

Nova swung her keyblade randomly, hoping she would at least hit the Heartless. They were swarming around her. She was bound to hit something with the short distance. She spun on her heels in a circle, taking around the Heartless around her in a swing. One after another, black smoke filled the air with all of the Heartless the two keyblade wielders killed.

The blonde jumped back and raised her keyblade in defense. She blocked the claws aimed at her face and pushed the Heartless back. It recovered quickly and lunged at the girl once more.

"Fire!"

A ball of fire hit the Heartless from the side.

Nova turned her head to the source and saw the boy pointing his keyblade at the direction of the Heartless he just hit. He lowered his keyblade, a smile of his face. The silver-haired boy walked towards her casually, the smile never leaving his pale face.

"Nice work!" The boy raised his hand and a grin was seen on his face.

Nova stared at his hand before gingerly raising her own.

"High-five!" the boy chirped as they high-fived.

"So, what's your name—!?" The silver-haired boy abruptly stopped when the pool of darkness suddenly grew wider in diameter, covering their ankles in black fog. A large Heartless began to emerge from the pool of darkness. The two teens' eyes followed as the Heartless kept on rising up from the ground until it reached its' full height. "A Darkside!" the boy shouted, raising his arm in front of Nova.

The boy took a few steps back, making Nova do the same as well when the Darkside take a huge step forward. The two keyblade wielders readied themselves for another fight.

"We can take it! There's two of us and only one of them!" The boy encouraged, turning his head to look at Nova.

Nova's eyes widened when the Darkside raised its' large hand. It happened so fast, despite the Darkside was known to be slow. Nova pushed the boy away to safety just as the Darkside moved its hand to swat the keyblade wielders away. She raised her keyblade up in defense, casting a shield in front of her to lessen the impact from the hit. Though the Darkside's hand hit her, the claws didn't injure her.

"No!" The boy watched in horror as the girl was flung back into a distance.

Nova landed across the park. She hit the ground and skidded to a stop a few feet away from where she landed. The blonde immediately looked around for her keyblade. She had dropped her keyblade when she hit the ground. It was a few feet away from where she laid.

She can't let the boy fight on his own against the Darkside. She reached her hand out to grab her keyblade, but as far as she reached, the keyblade was too far from her grasp. She had to get back up to her feet. She winced in pain as she pushed herself up, prompting herself up with her elbows.

When Nova looked back to the direction of the boy, he was not alone. A large group of keyblade wielders had gathered around the waterfront park to defeat the Darkside. The boy was among the crowd, his back facing her.

' _Oh…'_

The boy doesn't need her help anymore.

"Nova!" Chirithy quickly appeared by her side, watching his wielder in concern. He helped the girl sit up and stared at her in worry. He was thankful that he had taught her the barrier spell when she first started her day, otherwise it could've ended worse. He placed his paw on the girl's hand, making her look at him. "Nova…"

Nova held her the side of her head, trying to make the pain go away. She patted Chirithy's head, assuring that she was alright. When she turned her gaze forward to look at the battle, her view was blocked with a black-gloved hand.

"You okay?" It was the boy.

The blonde gave a nod. "Yeah..." she took his hand and he pulled her up. She patted the dust and dirt on her clothes as she checked for injuries when something was given to her by the boy.

"Your keyblade." The boy held the keyblade out, his eyes looking at something else rather than Nova's face. There were a few seconds of silence before the girl took her keyblade back. "Thanks for saving me again. I owe you a lot." He thanked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Nova shook her head. "Don't mention it—"

"It's you!" the two keyblade wielders and Chirithy jumped at the loud voice. They turned their head to the source and found a boy, staring angrily at both Nova and her Chirithy. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded, marching closer to the three.

Nova frowned.

"Uh well… she lives in Daybreak Town…so…?" the silver-haired boy trailed off, unsure how to react to his Union member's sudden outburst.

"I wasn't talking to you, Ephemer!" The boy—Jay—snapped.

The silver-haired boy quickly retreated back, his hands raised up in the air in surrender.

Jay turned to look at Nova again. "You're here to steal our LUX, huh? That's why you're here, right?" he crossed his arms, giving a glare. "Think you can just waltz in here and defeat that Darkside to take our LUX?"

Chirithy stepped forward. "Don't assume such things! Nova would never do that!" he defended.

Ephemer nodded his head in agreement. "Her Chirithy's right, Jay. You can't just assume such things so quickly." He didn't like the way his member treated the girl who just saved his life twice so rudely. Sure, they might be from different Unions, but that doesn't mean he can just accuse the girl of something that she didn't do. "And besides, she was here first, so technically those LUXs was supposed to be hers." He placed his hand on his hip, making his point.

Jay clicked his tongue. "Whose side are you on here, Ephemer?" he asked in annoyance. "We defeated that Darkside. So, we won the LUX fair and square. And here, you're telling me the LUX belongs to _her_ now?" he emphasized, hissing out the word.

A girl stepped out from the growing crowd.

"Just stop it, guys! There's no need to fight over this." The black-haired girl stood between Jay and the three.

"Skuld…" Ephemer called out to the girl.

Said girl turned to face the silver-haired teen, giving a smile. Her light brown eyes fell on the blonde beside her friend. She flashed her a soft smile before turning to face her fellow Union member, her gaze sharpened.

"Do you really need to spark up a fight with another Union, Jay? She didn't do anything wrong here, you know?" Skuld huffed out, her arms crossed.

Jay rolled his eyes. "Oh _please_ … She's from a different Union, that makes us enemies, rivals." He pointed out, moving his hand as he leaned a bit forward.

Ephermer stepped forward. "But that doesn't mean you can just downright bully her—,"

"You all saw her right? Her keyblade." Jay cut Ephemer off, making everyone in the crowd turn their attention to the newest keyblade wielder's keyblade. The girls shrink in her spot when all eyes fell on her. Her grip on the keyblade tightened before summoning it away in shame, but everyone had a good look at her keyblade before she summoned it away. "Everyone here agrees. She's weak—she can't even hold herself against the Darkside. Anyone can do it. Her keyblade proves it." He sneered, his nose held up high.

Nova's hands were balled up into fists as she tried her best not to run away.

"Hey—!" Chirithy jumped up in anger.

"You wanna know the reason why you don't get missions out of Daybreak Town?" Jay pushed his way through Skuld, Ephemer and Chirithy before standing in front of the girl. "Your keyblade, that's why. Look at everyone here, _Nova_. We all have moved to the next stage. You haven't—and that's why even in your Union, no one choose you." He stared intensely at the shorter girl.

Nova furrowed her eyebrows.

"You're weak."

The blonde coughed once, holding back a sob.

"Oi—Jay!" Ephermer stepped forward.

"It's true…" Nova spoke quietly, making the two of her defenders and Chirithy look at her. The corner of her lips twitched to a bitter smile. She raised her gaze to look at the group. She smiled, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "I accept it… what he said was true. I'm weak…" she admitted.

"No—," Ephemer paused when Nova turned to look at him.

"Thanks for your help." Nova bowed to him before giving the girl named Skuld the same bow. She looked down to her Chirithy and motioned her head for the to leave. She walked ahead of the cat. "Let's go, Chirithy…"

The crowd made way for the blonde to walk. Their eyes staring at her, judging.

Chirithy quickly followed his wielder.

As soon as the girl and her Chirithy was out of view, the crowd began to disperse, soon only leaving Jay's group and Ephemer's group.

"Jay!" Skuld shouted, pulling the boy by his shoulder—away from the girl. "You've gone too far."

Ephemer glared. "What you said was not true Jay—,"

Jay scoffed. "You have to be blind to not see that she's weak."

"What do you have against her anyway?" Ephermer decided to ask, his arms crossed.

"She's from another Union." It was short and simple.

Ephermer stared at the boy in disbelief. "Only that?"

"Duh."

The silver-haired teen turned his head to look at the direction Nova had left.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"N—Nova! Wait up!"

Chirithy struggled to keep up with Nova's pace.

"Chirithy." The keyblade wielder abruptly stopped. Her head hung low as her hands balled up on her sides. Her voice sounded so strained, as if she was holding back the tears and sadness she had been holding. The two of them had stopped inside the short tunnel that leads back to their house. It was quiet and the air around them was thick. "Be honest with me, okay?" she said quietly, tuning her gaze over her shoulder.

The cat nodded his head slowly.

"Do you think I'm weak too?" Nova asked.

"No!" was her immediate answer. The girl turned around and kneeled down when her Spirit moved closer to her. The cat kept jumping up and down, giving encouragement to lift the girl's spirits up. "Don't say that! You're not weak at all, Nova! You're growing stronger and stronger from the minute I met you! So, don't ever listen to those kids, okay?" he huffed out.

Nova smiled, patting Chirithy's head. "Thanks…"

The cat's body began to shake in angry. "What that kid said was too far! It's time I tell Master Aced and Master Gula—!"

"There's no need for that." The two gasped when they saw someone at the end of the tunnel. Their back leaned against the walls with their arms crossed. It was just anybody. It was the Master himself, Master Gula—the Union leader of Leopardus. The two quickly stood up and bowed in respect to the master. "I've seen and heard enough from what happened today." He said, his voice a little strained.

Nova looked at her master before looking down. She was disappointed at herself because her master had to come down and help her sort out her bullying problem.

"Please… don't tell Master Aced…" Nova said quietly.

Gula raised an eyebrow, turning to look at his student in surprise. "Why? You're a part of my Union, it's time I take this matter into my own hands." He walked closer to the girl, watching the girl shift uncomfortable from the tension. He knew of the problem Nova has with the bullies from Ursus, but he had never expected it to come this far. At first, he was positive that Nova can take care of the bullies by herself, but this was going too far. "Aced needs to control his students better. I _don't_ tolerate them looking down on my Union member." He continued.

"But what he said was true… I am weak…" Nova said quietly, but both Chirithy and her master heard her. "My keyblade proves it…"

Chirithy placed his paw on Nova's hand. "Nova…" he glanced over to the man cloaked in yellow, silently praying that the man can help pull his wielder out from the sadness of insecurity.

Gula stared at the girl for a few seconds before turning around on his heels.

"M—Master?" Chirithy turned to the master in surprise.

The leopard masked man stopped at the end of the tunnel. He glanced over his shoulder and motioned his hand for the two to follow him. "Follow me." He instructed before continuing to walk.

Nova and Chirithy exchanged glances before following the man. The blonde jogged to catch up with her master. For a man dressed in robes, he sure can walk fast. She walked behind him, a few steps behind to give some space between them. She didn't know what her master was going to do. She didn't know him that well to know what. She silently hoped that he won't go over to where Jay and his group is. Sure, she doesn't like him or anyone in his group, but she also doesn't want to get them in trouble _and_ make them hate her more because she got her master involved.

"Nova, tell me something," Gula suddenly said, surprising the blonde girl. She tilted her head and waited for him to continue. She continued following him until they come to a complete stop beside the Fountain in the plaza. He stood there with his back turned against them. "Why do you think the keyblade choose you?" he asked, turning around to meet his keyblade wielder.

Nova blinked. "Ummm…" she began to think. She tried to find the answer, but can't seem to find it. She didn't want to tell her master that she can't answer his question, but how can she answer a question she doesn't even know the answer. "I… don't know… I don't know… why?" she trailed off, looking down.

"Your heart, Nova. It chooses you because of your heart." Gula answered, taking a few steps closer to his Union member.

Nova placed a hand over her heart. "My heart?" she echoed.

Gula nodded. "Only people with a strong heart can obtain the power of the keyblade." he mimicked his student's actions and placed a hand over his heart as well.

"Nova, your heart is strong."

Nova looked up, staring at her master with wide eyes. She felt her spirits being lifted up when she heard her own master saying that her heart is strong.

"Don't let other wielders tell you otherwise." Gula gave a smile.

Nova felt a smile spreading across her lips. She quickly bowed down, hiding the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"Thank you, master!"

Gula nodded his head, a small smile on his lips. "Raise you head and wipe those tears off, someone's here to see you." He instructed and turned his head to the direction of the stairs. As if on cue, a voice calling out to Nova could be heard.

"Hey! New kid! You up there?!"

"Looks like you have a friend looking for you." Gula pointed out and turned his attention back to his student.

"Y—Yeah…"

"I should be going." Gula announced his leave and turned around on his heels, heading towards the stairs on the other side. He stopped just when his foot stepped on the first step of the stairs. He turned his gaze over his shoulder. "May your heart be your guiding key, Nova." he said before continuing on his way.

Nova stared at her master's back, the smile still plastered on her lips.

"Hey—new kid!" the boy from before—Ephemer—panted as he reached the Fountain Plaza. Nova turned around to face him as he ran towards her, stopping right in front of her. He held out a finger to her as his other hand was placed on his knees to support him. He took a minute break to catch his breath before standing tall to his full height, staring at Nova with a determined look. "Listen, what Jay said—don't let it get to you, okay?" he panted out.

Nova smiled, shaking her head. "Don't worry… I won't."

"Don't say that—Huh? Oh…" Ephemer blushed when Nova's answer wasn't as he expected. He gave a sheepish laugh before he let a gasp escaped his lips. He reached his hand inside his pouch, pulling out a familiar glass container to give the girl. "Here, you can use my potion. You'd be lying if you said that the hit you took for me didn't hurt." He smiled, holding out the potion.

The blonde took the potion. "Thank you…" she said softly.

Ephermer grinned. "Well, that's what friends are for! We look out for each other!"

Nova stared at the boy with a surprised look. "Friends?"

The silver-haired teen blinked. "Well, yeah… we high-fived, remember?" he raised his right hand up and pointed at his own hand. "We might be from different Unions, but we can always be friends, right?" he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah…" Nova looked down at the potion, a smile on her lips. "Thanks."

"I'm Ephemer from the Union Ursus! Nice to meet you, New Kid!" Ephemer held his hand out.

Nova chuckled. "I'm Nova from Leopardus." She shook his hand.

A glow began to emit between their hands.

"Whoa!" Ephemer exclaimed, staring as the bright light continues to spread. He closed his eyes as the light continues to glow. A few seconds later, the light finally dies down. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light before his blue eyes landed on the keyblade in Nova's hands. "Hey! Congratulations!" he grinned.

Nova stared at her keyblade.

It was different from the old one, though still similar.

The shaft had a gradient color, making it darker closer to the top. The star at the teeth was now gold and the spike opposite has been replaced with a fanning trail that looks like a shooting star. The section of the shaft where the trail passed through was colored in gold as well.

"Wow, congratz, Nova!" Chirithy clapped his paws together, jumping up and down in joy.

"How does it feel? Now, you can show Jay what you're made of!" Ephemer pumped his fist up, giving a smile. "Proof him wrong, sista!" he laughed.

Nova couldn't help but smile.

This is her next step as a keyblade wielder.


End file.
